Caught Inside by Lynnette Beers is set about a Chinese American girl’s coming-of-age story and her road of self-discovery.
The story is mostly in the 90s and follows Maddie Fong’s teenage years. After an incident in Mississippi, her single mother decides to move them to a place she feels is safer to live in and to also be closer to their family in Southern California.
Unfortunately, she is picked on by the kids in her new school for being different and distracts herself by reading books. She meets a girl at school and they become fast friends.
Maddie meets a man from Hawaii who opens up her world to new possibilities once he introduces her to surfing.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
One of my favourite characters in the book was Kai, a man from Hawaii who introduced her to surfing. He eventually became a father figure and great support system for her. While Maddie did not fully confide in him about her worries and troubles, Kai always made sure she knew that he was there for her, which made for a touching relationship.
The book is filled with literature quotes from Virginia Woolf and I found it enhanced the scenes and gave them a depth and meaning that wouldn’t otherwise be there.
The growth that the main character goes through during her teenage years was great to see and found myself rooting for Maddie’s happily ever after.
Heads Up
In the blurb, a significant portion of it mentioned surfing, but I found myself wishing there were slightly more scenes involving the sport because they were so well-described by the author.
I do want to mention here that the main character is in a relationship with a male for a tiny part of the book. There are no descriptive sex scenes.
The Conclusion
Lynnette Beers’ writing was intriguing from the get-go and although the romance took more of a backseat, I still enjoyed this well-written coming-of-age story.
Excerpt from Caught Inside by Lynnette Beers
Maddie had gone to Camp Wallace since she was eight, but now at age fourteen, she related more to sixteen-year-old Brooke than she did the other campers. Once they discovered they both lived in Ellisville and would be going to the same high school in the fall, they’d become close.
They rested for a few minutes and resumed trudging through the woods. As they wove through the thick vegetation, Maddie counted each faint clang of the bell. One, two, three… By the time she got to twenty, she lost count. The sound seemed farther away now. Did the gongs come from behind them? From over the ridge? From across the lake?
“How long will they keep ringing the bell?” Maddie’s voice quivered as she blinked back the tears.
“Until we’re found.” Brooke said this so matter-of-factly, like she wasn’t a bit scared about being lost.
Maddie lost her footing on some loose gravel and grabbed Brooke’s arm for support. “What if they don’t find us?”
“They’ll find us. I mean, at least by morning when the sun’s up. Last year when I went through orientation, they told us about the different bell signals used at camp. You know, when it’s time to wake up or when it’s time for dinner. Right now, it’s obviously a distress signal, but they’re not gonna give up.”
“But we…we’re gonna freeze if we’re stuck out here all night.” Maddie’s teeth chattered, and she couldn’t stop shaking. Though she wanted to believe Brooke, she feared the worst—that they’d be stranded out here all night long and get frostbite.
“It only goes down to around sixty at night in the summer. We’ll be fine. Besides, they’re bound to find us soon.”
“How do you know that?”
Brooke turned to face Maddie and took hold of her hands, giving them a quick squeeze. “Since when has Maddie Fong been a wuss?” Her tone was playful. “Didn’t you swim to the other side of the lake with me yesterday? And only a little while ago you went for a swim at dusk.”
Maddie loved how Brooke said her full name, as if she was someone special and not just one of the campers. “That was different. It was still light out when we swam. It’s totally dark right now, and we can’t even see where we’re going.”
“Ever since I met you last year, I always saw you as fearless. The key to survival is not to panic.” Brooke squeezed Maddie’s hands once more before releasing them and continuing down the hill. “We can’t be that far from camp. Once we make our way through these trees, we’ll find our way back to the lake.”
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781949096378
Publisher: Flashpoint Publications
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